Cubs Clip D'backs, Deal Garza, ML Roundup

Published on July 23 2013 6:29 am
Last Updated on July 23 2013 8:13 am
Written by Millie Lange

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Junior Lake finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI in his fourth career game, as the Cubs clipped the Diamondbacks 4-2 in the opener of a four-game series at Chase Field. Dioner Navarro added a solo shot for the Cubs, who are 2-and-2 since the All-Star break. Chris Rusin got the start in place of Matt Garza, who was traded to Texas before the game. Rusin allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in five-plus innings for his first win. Kevin Gregg closed it out for his 19th save. Martin Prado and Paul Goldschmidt plated a run each for the D'backs, who are now a half-game behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. It ended a stretch of 62 straight days atop the division for Arizona. Tyler Skaggs, who was recalled from Single-A Visalia before the game, allowed three runs in six frames as he slipped to 2-2.

Rangers Acquire Garza From Cubs

(Arlington, TX) -- Pitcher Matt Garza is now a member of the Texas Rangers. Texas has acquired the 29-year-old right-hander from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Mike Olt and pitchers C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm. Cubs manager Dale Sveum says the biggest challenge is filling Matt Garza's spot in the rotation.

A player to be named later is also in the deal. Garza is 6-1 on the season with a 3.17 ERA. Grimm was 7-7 with a 6.37 ERA for the Rangers. Edwards was 8-2 with a 1.83 ERA at Class-A Hickory. Olt had 12 home runs and 34 RBI while splitting time with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock this year. The deal is contingent on all players involved passing physicals.

Yanks Reportedly Near Deal For Soriano

(New York, NY) -- Looking for offense, the New York Yankees may be turning to a familiar face. The "Post" reports the Yanks are close to a deal with the Chicago Cubs to acquire outfielder Alfonso Soriano. Chicago would pay the bulk of Soriano's remaining salary through next year in exchange for a mid-level prospect. Soriano played in New York from 1999 to 2003, mainly as a second baseman.

Tigers Wash White Sox

(Chicago, IL) -- Max Scherzer went eight innings and allowed just two runs as the Tigers ran past the White Sox 7-2 at U.S. Cellular Field. Scherzer improved to 14-1 on the season. Torii Hunter hit a solo homer while Victor Martinez was 4-for-5 with three RBI for Detroit. Miguel Cabrera left the game in the bottom of the fifth with a sore left hip flexor. The Tigers have won two straight. Dayan Viciedo and Conor Gillaspie each hit a solo homer for Chicago in defeat. Chris Sale struck out 11 in eight innings while allowing four runs, two of which were earned. Sale fell to 6-9 with the defeat. The Sox saw a brief two-game winning streak end.

Twins Edge Halos In Anaheim

(Anaheim, CA -- Clete Thomas hit a solo homer and drove in two as the Twins picked up a 4-3 win over the Angels at The Big A in Anaheim. Samuel Deduno tossed seven innings of two-run ball to improve to 6-4 while Glen Perkins nailed down his 24th save. Joe Mauer was 3-for-4 for Minnesota, which has won three out of four since the All-Star break. Joe Blanton's woeful season continued as he allowed four runs and threw 90 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings to fall to 2-13 for Los Angeles. Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Halos, who have lost back-to-back games after winning their first two after the break.

Home Runs Power Mariners Past Indians

(Seattle, WA) -- Home runs by Kendrys Morales and Mike Zunino led the Mariners to a 2-1 win over the Indians at Safeco FIeld. Morales hit his 15th in the fourth inning to tie the game at one, and Zunino went deep in the fifth. The Mariners pitching made the lead stand with starter Aaron Harang going seven innings and allowing one run on four hits. Tom Wilhelmsen earned his 22nd save and Harang improved to 5-8. The Mariners have won seven straight games. The run for Cleveland was a first-inning home run from Nick Swisher. Ubaldo Jimenez took the loss to drop to 7-5.

Dodgers Hammer Blue Jays To Take Over NL West

(Toronto, Ontario) -- A.J. Ellis and Skip Schumaker each hit home runs and combined for eight RBI as the Dodgers blasted the Blue Jays 14-5 at Rogers Centre. Ellis went 4-for-6 with a career-high five RBI. Carl Crawford had three hits and drove in two runs for L.A. Hyun-Jin Ryu worked five-and-one-third innings to improve to 8-3. The Dodgers have won four straight coming out of the All-Star break to take over first place in the NL West. Arizona is a half-game back. Edwin Encarnacion and Mark DeRosa had three hits each for Toronto. Josh Johnson got through only two innings and fell to 1-6. The Jays have dropped four in-a-row.

A's Edge Astros In Houston

(Houston, TX) -- Josh Reddick's two-run homer in the eighth lifted the Athletics to a 4-3 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Chris Young hit a solo blast in the seventh for Oakland, which has won two straight. Ryan Cook earned the win in relief while Grant Balfour locked down his 26th save. Houston built an early lead behind and RBI single from Chris Carter. J.D. Martinez also knocked in a run for the Astros while starter Dallas Keuchel pitched six innings of one-run ball. Wesley Wright took the loss in relief out of the bullpen for Houston, which has dropped six straight and nine out of 10.

Reds Blank Giants In Romp

(San Francisco, CA) -- Devin Mesoraco, Shin-Soo Choo and Jay Bruce each hit home runs, powering the Reds to an 11-0 blowout of the Giants at AT&T Park. Bronson Arroyo pitched his 15th-career complete game and sixth shutout, while recording his 100th win as a Red. Arroyo allowed seven hits and struck out six. Todd Frazier added three runs batted in and Derrick Robinson had three hits and scored three runs. Tim Lincecum gave up eight runs on nine hits and didn't make it out of the fourth inning for the Giants. He dropped to 5-10. San Francisco fell eight games below .500 at 45-53.

Rangers Blank Yankees

(Arlington, TX) -- Yu Darvish had a stellar return to the mound helping the Rangers shutout the Yankees, 3-0, in the opener of a four-game set in Arlington. Darvish made his first start since July 6 because of shoulder fatigue and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Joe Nathan nailed down his 21st save. Nelson Cruz connected for his 23rd homer as Texas snapped a four-game losing streak. Lyle Overbay had two of New York's three hits. Ivan Nova gave up three runs in seven innings to fall to 4-3. The Yanks have lost five of six.

Moore, Rays Blank Red Sox

(Boston, MA) -- Matt Moore tossed a two-hit complete game shutout to lead the Rays over the Red Sox 3-0 at Fenway Park. It was the All-Star's first career shutout and allowed Tampa Bay to move within a half-game of first place in the AL East behind Boston. Moore's 14 wins is tied for the lead in the majors. Ben Zobrist had three hits and James Loney drove in two runs as the Rays won their sixth straight game. Brandon Workman took the loss in his second career start after allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings.

Orioles Humble Royals

(Kansas City, MO) -- J.J. Hardy was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the Orioles rolled to a 9-2 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Chris Davis went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Henry Urrutia was 3-for-5 and knocked in a run for Baltimore. Nick Markakis had three of Baltimore's 17 hits as the O's won their season-high fifth straight and their eighth in nine games. Scott Feldman went eight innings and allowed two runs to move to 2-1 since joining the Birds. Wade Davis was tagged for four runs, two earned, in just 2 2/3 innings to fall to 4-9 for Kansas City. Alcides Escobar and David Lough each knocked in a run for the Royals, who have dropped two straight.

Pirates Hold Off Nats

(Washington, DC) -- Andrew McCutchen hit a pair of two-run homers as the Pirates held on to beat the Nationals 6-5 in the opener of a four-game series in DC. Gaby Sanchez had an RBI for the Bucs, who are 2-and-2 since the All-Star break. Charlie Morton tossed six-and-two-thirds innings of three-run ball to even his record at 2-2. Closer Jason Grilli gave up two runs in the ninth before exiting with two outs with an apparent arm injury. Vin Mazzaro recorded the final out to earn his first save. Jayson Werth also hit two two-run homers, including a blast in the ninth inning that pulled the Nats within one. Adam LaRoche added a solo shot for the Nationals, who have lost four in-a-row since the break. Dan Haren allowed five runs in five frames as he fell to 4-11 with the loss.

Braves Come Back To Top Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Mets starter Dillon Gee took a no-hitter into the seventh but the Braves scored twice in the top of the ninth to pull out a 2-1 win over New York at Citi Field. Chris Johnson knocked in a run on a groundout and Reed Johnson followed with a pinch-hit RBI single for Atlanta, which stopped a two-game skid. Jason Heyward made a diving catch with two on in the ninth to rob Justin Turner and end the game, preserving Craig Kimbrel's 28th save for the Braves. Julio Teheran struck out six in six innings of one-run ball while Jordan Walden grabbed the win in relief. Gee ended up going seven innings for the Mets, allowing just two hits in the process. Bobby Parnell blew his fourth save and took the loss. Ike Davis' RBI single in the fourth was the lone run for New York, which had won its previous two.

Marlins Clip Rockies

(Denver, CO) -- The Marlins broke their 37-inning scoreless streak in the first inning and held on for a 3-1 win in the opener of a four-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field. Giancarlo Stanton's RBI double ended the drought. Ed Lucas added a solo homer in the third inning. Tom Koehler struck out seven and allowed one run across seven innings to improve to 2-5. Miami ended a four-game losing streak. Troy Tulowitzki's 17th homer of the year accounted for the only Colorado run. The Rockies were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Starter Drew Pomeranz dropped to 0-4. Colorado is 2-2 since the end of the All-Star break.

Dodgers Hammer Blue Jays To Take Over NL West

(Toronto, Ontario) -- A.J. Ellis and Skip Schumaker each hit home runs and combined for eight RBI as the Dodgers blasted the Blue Jays 14-5 at Rogers Centre. Ellis went 4-for-6 with a career-high five RBI. Carl Crawford had three hits and drove in two runs for L.A. Hyun-Jin Ryu worked 5 1/3 innings to improve to 8-3. The Dodgers have won four straight coming out of the All-Star break to take over first place in the NL West. Arizona is a half-game back. Edwin Encarnacion and Mark DeRosa had three hits each for Toronto. Josh Johnson got through only two innings and fell to 1-6. The Jays have dropped four in-a-row.

Brewers' Braun Suspended For Rest Of Season

(New York, NY) -- Major League Baseball is suspending Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun for the rest of the season without pay. The penalty comes as a result of violating MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy says they're going to stand behind Ryan Braun.

Braun is one of the players that has been linked to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Braun issued a statement saying, "I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions." Yankees manager Joe Girardi says the Ryan Braun suspension sets an example. The former National League MVP is batting .298 with nine home runs and 38 RBI this season.